My Dads perfect Chicken pie. Nothing better on a cold rainy Sunday that this with some sweet potato mash and greens

Method

Pre-heat oven to 240C. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Baste the skin using your hands with a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place half of the packet of thyme inside the chicken and a few sprigs in the tray.

Place the chicken in the pre-heated over, immediately turning the temp down to 200C. Cook for 60 minutes.

Chop the leeks, shallots and garlic finely. Add to a pan with a knob of butter, drizzle of oil and sweat, stirring occasionally until REALLY soft and lightly browned. Season with S+P whilst cooking.

Halve all the mushrooms and saute in a separate pan with salt, pepper, drizzle of oil and a knob of butter until they reduce right down and almost caramelise in the pan.

Once the leek mixture and mushrooms have reached desired consistency, take off the heat and leave to cool.

Take the chicken out after one hour, check juices run clear and remove from pan. Place on wooden board and leave to cool, covered in foil.

Take the chicken pan with juices still in, skim off the fat if there is any and add the white wine, more thyme leaves (not sprigs), dried rosemary. Stir for a minute or so and scrape any dark bits off the pan into the sauce.

Add the cream, chicken stock, veggie stock powder and plain flour. Reduce down, seasoning to taste and add a touch more cream/stock if you prefer a little saucier.

Pick ALL the chicken off the carcus, shred with fingers and add to a bowl.

Layer the chicken, mushrooms, leek mixture into a 30cm by 23cm baking dish and evenly distribute the sauce over it.

Roll out the puff pastry so it just fits over the dish and can be pulled over the sides, should be thickness of approx 2 pound coins.

Bake for approx 40 mins in a 220C pre-heated oven until pastry is risen and golden.

After much deliberation by our judges who reviewed all the recipes entered into the competition, it has been decided that Mama’s Potato Halloumi Cake recipe by Burcu Musselwhite from Milton Keynes has been selected as the winning entry. Congratulations Burcu.